Chapter 6: A way to a Girl's heart is through her stomach...And her duel disk!
Kuro looked at the plate of food that he was given at the Slifer Red Dorm, all of the students of the Slifer Red were at the dining hall, it was a simple wood-board room with multiple tables of the various sort, it was small and cramp, especially for someone like Kuro who was taller than the Headmaster of the Slifer Red dorm, professor Banner, or at least when he was around.
It took a full thirty minutes before the headmaster finally came to the mess hall of the Slifer Red Dorm, before he arrived, all the Slifer Red Students had to call a Headmaster was his cat, Pharaoh, the cat was cute, at least to Kuro's mind, it was more lazier than his sister, Kuro can tell you that for free.
the Helheim Sibling stared down at a bento-like lunch tray with a face of disappointment, it was an assortment of rice and dried fish with , not fried, not roasted but dried, it tasted like fish oil and smelled of nothing, the soy sauce smelled sour and looked like it was saturated with water, making it more oily than ever.
Kuro was no picky eater, but his expectations were a bit higher than he received, he expected to be dining like a greedy dragon rather than pecking on a pile of grade-B feed like some kind of chicken.
"Man! This really hits the spot!" Kuro heard as he turned his head to see Jaden Yuki chowing down his meal like a polar bear to a ringed seal, he was a voracious eater despite his average build, while Kuro appreciates people who eats whatever their given with a attitude filled with gusto, But Kuro...Was not one of those people.
With some form of snobbery, Kuro pushed the tray of food out of his sight before leaving the dining hall, it seemed like if he was going to eat some good food, he would have to make it himself.
Luckily, Professor Lyman Banner was cool with Kuro leaving the Slifer Red Dorm, it was strange but refreshing, he was to used to people telling to stay where he, despite wanting to reach out for something better.
Kuro left the Slifer Red Dorm grounds, he had a flashlight in his hands, he was going to do the old-fashioned way of getting a decent meal, being a forager and catching some fish, he walked into the dusk of Duel Academy island, quiet as a fox hunting its next meal, Kuro sighed as he realized that he had no way of catching a fish, lacking a fishing pole and a bobber to go along with it, Kuro would had to improvise, or maybe admit defeat and retreat back to the Slifer Red dorm.
He decided to go against the idea of admitting that he would had to swallow his exquisite tastes and eat a tray of dried sardines and week-old soy sauce.
Later...
The Sushi-themed Duelist was near the edge of a lake that was almost unnervingly near the Obelisk Blue Girl Dorm, he was as quiet as the dead of night, holding a small but long line of fishing wire, the line was deep submerged in the lake, nearby the tall Helheim Sibling had a small campfire nearby, the kindle blazed like a candle within the darkness, over the fire was a small pot, filled with a wide variety of herbs, ranging from the common dandelion to the rare and odd shepherds purse.
Kuro smelled the scents that were coming out of the cast iron pot, smelling the boiled herbs, with a nonchalant action, Kuro dabbed a little pinch of salt and pepper into the pot from his pocket, instead of being full of edible roadside greens, the pockets of Kuro Helheim were filled with salt and pepper, when he needed to clear his senses, the Sushi-themed Duelist would dig his hand into his pocket and take a whiff of his seasoning-stained hands.
Within minutes of applying the salt and pepper into the herbal soup, his fish wire started to tug lightly, Kuro smiled in silent delight as he slowly pulled the line, revealing that he caught a fish, the fish looked like a well-fed trout, big enough to be considered a full meal, but not big enough to provide leftovers for the Sushi Duelist.
Smoke from the cooking fire started to smell like a mix of smoked hickory and roasted fish as the trout was spit roasted above the flame, Kuro was absolutely silent as he did this, the scents and fumes of the roadside greens and roasted fish were almost intoxicating to Kuro's nostrils.
But...It lacked something...It pang on Kuro's mind, it was missing something, with a small wooden ladle, he took a taste of his soup, it tasted like a recently cultivated vegetable, earthy, strong and full of that organic taste, but it lacked something, he added salt and pepper and yet it still like it was missing something in the taste factor.
Kuro was a chef, he hated it when his food was missing something, may it be taste or a decorative garnish, it drove him to the edges of his temper, a meal without completion is not a true meal at all, why would someone eat a single fried egg when they could add things such as, salt, pepper, onions, a fruit, bread or some bacon to make it an even more enjoyable experience?
"...What are you doing here? You know coming to the Obelisk Girl Dorm during the night could get you expelled right?" Kuro heard...the Helheim sibling sighed in defeatu...The voice had some familiarity, sounding like a harp from the heavens, it wasn't soothing however, for it felt like the harp was being played like some sort of electric guitar.
It was Jasmine...She had her sleeveless arms folded as she stared at Kuro with a somewhat grumpy glare, Kuro had no clue how she even found Kuro, was she here the whole time? Or perhaps she stalked Kuro so she can wait for the perfect opportunity to speak up? The Sushi-Themed Duelist knew for sure that if he lied, he'll be slapped and expelled from the island faster than a souffle deflating.
So he might as well the truth... "The food that at the dinner was...Disappointing..." Kuro began to explain as Jasmine was still staring daggers at the Helheim sibling, she scoffed in response as she took steps closer to the cooking fire, not responding to Kuro's words, she gazed upon the weed soup that Kuro made, she then gazed upon the fish that was being spit roasted.
"Do you know who Mai Valentine is?" Jasmine suddenly asked as she was still as cold as ice despite being near the warming fire, Kuro wasn't sure who this Mai Valentine was, the name certainly did sound familiar to say the least.
"...Not sure who you're talking about..." Kuro admitted in a slow voice, trying to say calm and collected, if he said anything that ticked the cold yet aggressive Jasmine, he would kiss his attendance to Duel Academy goodbye and go back to tending a overly-dramatic Maria, Jasmine huffed in response, she finally unfolded her arms, almost as if her arms were caging her and Kuro's words were the key to her lock.
She sighed deeply as she sat on her knees near the fire, closing her eyes in a calming way, it made Kuro inwardly blush, Jasmine looked...cute when she wasn't glaring at him.
"I can understand that you don't know about her, she retired from Duel Monsters not to long ago...Mai Valentine was my Idol, she was the reason why I even came here..." Jasmine suddenly explained as the wood from the cooking fire began to crack due to its bark being scorched and singed, she stared at the fire with a pair of sober eyes.
"She would always win, to me, she was an example that anyone can be make it big in the Duel Monsters world, she showed me that your passion can drive you..." Jasmine continued to speak, almost sounding poetic and wise beyond her years but only in a somber tone, almost as if her harp of a voice was forced to play for a funeral.
"...That's when your sister came into the Pro-dueling scene..." Jasmine said, her voice shifted into a venom-ridden muse as she mentioned Kuro's sister, she clenched her fists tightly as Kuro was quietly staring at Jasmine.
"She was the exact opposite of Mai...Callous, rude, and disrespectful..." Kuro eyes widened, figments of his memory started to pop up within his mind as he began to remember.
"Maria dueled her...She told me about it during dinner one time..." Kuro said, this got Jasmine's temper and attention, shooting a glare at Kuro with a pair of furious eyes.
"Your sister dueled her for a title, she won in a curb-stomp battle, she bragged, she showed the whole world that she was better than Mai, that was Mai's last match before she retired from dueling..." Jasmine's anger being tranquil but apparent, Kuro started to quiver lightly in fear from the sight of a silently furious Jasmine.
"...Maria boasted...About retiring someone..." the usually Silent Helheim sibling chimed in.
"I hated your sister ever since, Kuro, She almost ruined dueling for me, she showed me that Duel Monsters wasn't about the passion...It was all about winning and being better than everyone else...Therefore...I don't like you in return..."
'...Is she absolutely serious?' ...That single statement got Kuro a little frustrated in his position.
"...So you dislike me over something I couldn't even control...You dislike me just because I'm related to the person that you hate..."
"How do I know that you're any different than your sister? How do I know that you're just one of those duelists who crush the passion out of the others? Just like 'The Dark Star of Duel Monsters'?" Jasmine retorted back as she stood up from where was sitting, her voice stung like a wasp, folding her arms as her stance was strong and colder than a statue.
"I live in my sister's shadow...I pick up the crumbs that she drops...I get her hand-me-downs...Despite the one who feeds her...It doesn't mean I want to follow in her footsteps." Kuro stung back as he started to stand up for himself, instead of retreating back in his more shrinking violet state, he stood up to Jasmine with his head held up high.
"I'll believe it when I see it." Jasmine scoffed, silence enveloped the two as Kuro knew for sure that Jasmine was testing him.
"Do you know what its like living in a shadow?" It was Kuro's turn asking armor-piercing questions, the strawberry blonde girl didn't bother to answer, Kuro decided to continue.
"Do you know what its like, being remember solely because of who I'm related to?"
"Do you know what its like, having fake kindness thrown in your way for the past three years, just because of who my sister is?" Jasmine was still despondent, apparently not being fazed by Kuro's words.
"And now...Do you what its like when people hate you...Not because of what you did to them, but instead just because who you're related?" Kuro said, his voice becoming increasingly raspy and damaged, Jasmine stopped glaring at Kuro for once, she frowned as Kuro got on his knees, he looked down-right pathetic and weak, despite being tall, he looked as small as a child as he on his knees.
"...Its awful...And you can't do anything to change it...You just got to...Live with it..." Kuro continued...Jasmine was completely silent as she stared at a crumpled Kuro, Jasmine knew for a fact that Kuro was practically guilt-tripping her, lamenting the many problems that Kuro had to face as an attempt to garner sympathy for himself.
Jasmine didn't budge in response to Kuro's wallowing, but she didn't just wanted to act like some sort of cold-blooded bully towards the Slifer Red Student, she sighed in a somber tone once she noticed that Kuro was shedding tears.
"I'm sorry...For acting like this...Its just...I like being quiet...For it reduces the chances of being like this..." Kuro huff as he started to calm down, getting off of his knees in a still motion, Jasmine wasn't glaring at him anymore, she was just silent, her arms were still folded and her stance still strong.
"Its okay, Kuro." Was all Jasmine said, her voice being being like a soothing song to the ears of the Shadowed Helheim Sibling, he smiled lightly, the small figment of forgiveness that was given to him was enough to return him back to his original state.
"Look, Kuro, I know you're not completely like your sister, but, again, you need to prove that to me, I caught you trespassing, so, consider it a challenge." Jasmine began to say, she felt like she was empowered, granted, Kuro was trespassing, she did sort of have power over Kuro, if he did anything terrible to her, he would be kicked off this island by violation of school ground laws.
"...I'll try my best...Jasmine..." Kuro said between deep heavy breaths, he noticed that the fish that was roasting throughout this whole confrontation was fully finished and done, a sudden thought occurred within Kuro's mind as he went to stick the fish out of the blazing cooking fire.
"Wait, why did you came here Jasmine?" Jasmine shrugged as she answered.
"I saw the camp fire so I went to investigate, at least it gets me away from the food that's being served at dinner..." Kuro curved an eyebrow from the second part of her statement, getting away from unpleasing food? it was the Exact reason why Kuro left the Slifer Red Dorm and got into this situation in the first place.
"I'm not like my roommates, they like eating super-healthy stuff and have sweets as a cheat meal, so at the dinner, there was only salads and fruits! It infuriated me! I'm sick and tired of people thinking that I only eat salads!" Jasmine exclaimed in a frustrated tone.
This only raised more questions for the Shadowed Helheim Sibling, Jasmine was just as thin and well-framed as her friends, and yet here she was stating that she dislikes salads and whatever they like eating, it was like a butcher stating that they dislike the sight of raw-cut meat.
"...You want some of what I'm cooking?" Kuro suddenly asked, trying his hardest not to sound the least bit awkward, Jasmine thought about it.
"It looks good...Although that soup looks like if my lawn trimmings were in the rain for a day..." Jasmine admitted pointing out the weed stew that Kuro made, Kuro frowned from such a remark, he got out two small bowls, using his ladle, he poured two bowls of roadside green soup, handing one to Jasmine.
"A wise man once told me: Don't knock it until you try it..." Kuro said with a small smile on his lips before he took a sip of the soup, The Strawberry Blonde Jasmine gazed upon the bowl and the green soup inside of it, she paused before she took a sip of the weed soup.
At first, it tasted bitter, almost as if Jasmine just took a sip of blended wheat grass, but then, the sense of savory overtook the initial bitterness, the dew-like taste of the weeds now taking full-front on the flavor category the Obelisk Blue Girl smiled in delight, it was so savory, she felt like taking another sip right after, and another, and another, until there was nothing inside the bowl.
"Eating new food is like discovering new music, at first, you don't see the appeal, but once the second verse hits, you get hooked." Kuro recited as he began cutting the fish into two separate fillets, one for him, the other for Jasmine.
"I can agree with that...If all garden salads taste like what you made, I would be way much happier." Jasmine admitted in a honest tone, Kuro could see at the corner of his eye, there was a smile erupting on Jasmine's lips, it was small and almost unnoticeable, but to Kuro, it was just as good as believed it was.
"It was made from the pests of the garden...Weeds I mean." the Shadowed Helheim Sibling recalled as he dumped the fillet of fish into his bowl, he motioned for Jasmine to hand him hers.
"...Kuro, how do you know to cook like this?" Jasmine suddenly asked as she gave back the bowl to Kuro so she can have the main course of the meal.
"Mother taught me..." he answered with a light shrug as he handed Jasmine a bowl of diced fish, Jasmine accepted the food graciously as she began to eat, it was smoky and filling, but sweet and juicy, Jasmine ate slowly while Kuro ate quickly.
"She must've been amazing then huh?" Kuro smiled and nodded.
"She was, she was also the reason why I like duel monsters too."
"You're such a Mamma's boy!" Jasmine teased hitting Kuro in the arm, giggling at her own catty remark, Kuro chuckled back in a weak tone, having no shame in admitting it.
Kuro realized what he was missing in his meal, he wasn't missing a certain ingredient or a certain utensil, he wasn't missing any of those things at all.
What he was missing...Was someone to share this amazing meal with, it seems like the universe choose Jasmine, Kuro didn't want to argue, he accepted it with graciousness.
The Next Day...Before Noon.
Kuro was at first quite excited to attend his first class of Duel Academy, but then, Kuro realized that no matter what subject the school is teaching, may it be culinary arts or duel monsters, it was still school...And to Kuro? It was beyond boring, he struggled to say awake and class hasn't even started yet.
"Now, can anyone tell me the three types of cards in duel monsters and their categories? How about you Miss Rhodes?" Professor Crowler asked of the Blonde Obelisk Blue girl, she stood up from her seat as she began to answer the Professor's question.
Alexis recited all types of cards with precise wording and a confidence that was as strong as she was pretty, she stood up straight with her head held up high as her voice was still and crisp like water.
"Perfect! Well done, Alexis! Of course, I'd expect nothing less from one of my Obelisks!" Professor Crowler exclaimed with a proud tone, before quickly gazing upon the Slifer Red Crowd.
"Now, lets see who should be questioned next." The Professor mused to himself as he decided to weed out the most shrinkish of the Slifer Reds, Kuro included.
The Helheim Sibling was afraid of being called, he was to tired and he was to bored to make a decent answer.
"Syrus Truesdale! Explain to the class, what a Field Spell is, please." Professor Crowler demanded from the cyan silver haired Slifer Red student, Syrus felt the whole class was staring at him as he began to stammer and stutter, he started to shake lightly from the anxiety that he was currently dealing with.
"Uh… a Field Spell… is the thing… that affects the thing…" He struggled to keep his voice clear as a Obelisk Blue student called him out for his incompetence.
"Even preduelers know the answer to this one!" He said, causing several of his friends to laugh at his little mean remark, Kuro huffed as he folded his arms.
'Why insult people who are here to learn? Isn't that...A little...Superfluous?' Kuro questioned inwardly, despite his objection over the ribbing, he wouldn't dare to open his mouth, out of a silent of being ridiculed like that.
"Wait, I know this one!" Syrus begged for another chance from the professor, but was silenced by a simple hand motion from Crowler.
"Now would someone else, kindly tell me the answer? Preferably someone not in red." Professor asked of, brushing away the whole of the Slifer Red, causing most students, most of the non-Slifer Red students to laugh, Kuro could notice that even Jasmine was even giggling a little bit, causing Kuro to feel a little conscious about himself.
"You know something teach? You shouldn't be making fun of the Slifers, I mean, I'm a Slifer that beat you so...When you make fun of the Reds, you're just making fun of yourself!" Syrus turned to his head, seeing that Jaden was defending him, Jaden shrugged in a nonchalant manner as Crowler was flabbergasted from Jaden's words.
Kuro was a little bit taken aback as well, never since culinary school where he saw someone defie a teacher's words.
"The Nerve of that boy!" Crowler growled to himself under his breath as Syrus laughed from Jaden's remark.
Later...
Kuro sighed as he wiped the sweat from his forehead, walking into the locker room, it was a school of Duel Monsters yet Kuro still couldn't escape the horrors known as Gym Class, Kuro was healthy yes, but then again, its not like he exercised excessively, he felt fatigued and drained, he thanked the people high up in the sky that this was the last class for him, he could back in his dorm room for well-needed rest.
Syrus was the only student with Kuro, perhaps was due to how slow they both were at Gym class? Kuro ignored the little tyke, he barely knows the guy, and Kuro would genuinely like to keep to himself, ESPECIALLY, in the locker room, where all the sweat and weird steamy stuff happens in Schools.
the cyan silver-haired boy was just as quiet as Kuro as they both were changing until their regular school uniforms, that was until Syrus gasped loudly in surprise, obtaining the Sushi-themed Duelist's attention.
"This is a love letter!" Syrus suddenly exclaimed, breaking the silence within the lonesome locker room, Kuro raised an eyebrow but didn't want to join in the situation.
'Its been two days...' Kuro thought, the concept of romance within the first few days of school was absolutely insane.
'I suppose drama is important...' The Shadowed Helheim sibling continued...He then noticed a letter inside his own locker...Kuro glanced at Syrus, his letter was adorned with a fine paper and it was even sealed with a kiss...Kuro's on the other hand was rugged and ragged, almost as if it was made without any sense of thought.
'...Just when I disapprove of drama...I get a taste of what other people are craving...' He sighed loudly, it was almost as if the universe was teasing him, with a sense of curiosity, Kuro ripped opened the letter without much care or thought.
'Hey Momma's boy, can we do the same dinner thing from yesterday? I found out that the Obelisk Girl Dorm will be serving the same exact thing from the initiation dinner...I'll meet you at the same place tonight, I won't tell anyone about our little secret.
-Jasmine.
P.S. My favorite food is fried chicken.
P.S.S. Make that weird weed soup again, that was good.
P.S.S.S. You also owe me a duel.'
...Kuro blushed from such a letter...Despite the letter was made of scratch paper and written in a hasty manner, it made Kuro blush from the thought of being wanted once again, without a second thought, Kuro stashed the letter within his jacket pocket as if it was a rough and uncut diamond.
The silent Helheim sibling once glanced at Syrus who seemed the happiest kid on earth, he jumped for joy as he seemed absolutely love-struck as he left the Locker Room...
"...Why do I feel like this isn't going to end well?" Kuro asked aloud, staring up at the ceiling for a mere moment.
"this is getting more cliched by the second..."